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Virginie Efira

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Virginie Efira
BERJAYA
Efira in 2023
Born (1977-05-05) 5 May 1977 (age 49)
Schaerbeek, Belgium
Citizenship
  • Belgium
  • France (from 2016)
OccupationActress
Years active1998–present
Spouse
​
​
(m. 2002; div. 2009)​
Partners
Children2

Virginie Efira (born 5 May 1977) is a Belgian and French actress. She had her first leading role in It Boy (2013), and subsequently received praise for In Bed with Victoria (2016), for which she received a Magritte Award for Best Actress and her first César Award for Best Actress nomination.

She also starred in the psychological thriller Elle (2016), the comedy drama Sibyl (2019), the black comedy Bye Bye Morons (2020) and the psychological drama Benedetta (2021). In 2023, she won the César Award for Best Actress for Paris Memories (2022). For her performance in the drama All of a Sudden (2026) she won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress.

BERJAYA
Virginie Efira, winner of the Best Performance by an Actress Award for “All Of A Sudden,” speaks during the Palme d'Or winners press conference at the 79th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 23, 2026 in Cannes, France.

Early life

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Efira was born on 5 May 1977[1] in the Brugmann district of Brussels, Belgium, the daughter of Professor André Efira, a hemato-oncologist, and Carine Verelst. She has Greek-Jewish ancestry. Efira has three siblings. She grew up in Schaerbeek.[2] Her parents divorced when she was 18 years old.[3]

Efira studied Latin, maths, psychology and social sciences in Brussels. She moved to Paris at the age of 28.[3]

Career

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1998–2008: Television anchor

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Virginie Efira poses for the camera
Virginie Efira at the Deauville American Film Festival in 2010

She was first hired by Club RTL (a Belgian TV channel in the RTL Group) to present a children's show called Mégamix. She went on to present other programmes in Belgium, including A la recherche de la nouvelle Star. In September 2002, she was offered the job of the presenter of Belgium's version of Star Academy.

After becoming a weather forecast presenter on the M6 channel in France, she soon became one of M6's main public faces, presenting shows such as Le Grand Zap, La saga des ..., Follement Gay, Absolument 80/90, Le Grand Piège and Drôles d'équipes. She was the host of Classé Confidentiel for one year, before replacing Benjamin Castaldi as the host of the popular musical reality show Nouvelle Star for the end of the show's fourth series. She also presented shows on RTL-TVi (a spin-off channel in the RTL Group).

2004–2015: Early roles and romantic parts

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Efira's film career began in 2004, appearing as Dr. Liz Wilson in the French-language version of Garfield: The Movie, as well as playing Piper in the French version of the 2005 film Robots. She also voiced the characters of Kitty Softpaws in Puss in Boots and Mavis in Hotel Transylvania (2012) and Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015). Efira also guest-starred in two episodes of the highly successful French show Kaamelott.

In 2010, she participated in Rendez-vous en terre inconnue. Efira next had a supporting role as a social worker in the comedy drama My Worst Nightmare (2011) directed by Anne Fontaine, opposite Isabelle Huppert, Benoît Poelvoorde and André Dussollier. The following year, she won the Audience Award at the 2nd Magritte Awards.[4]

In 2013, Efira starred alongside Pierre Niney in the romantic comedy It Boy, about a 38-year-old woman and her relationship with a teenage boy. The film was highly successful in France and received positive reviews. Variety wrote that she "has a particular talent for transmitting thoughts and eliciting laughs using facial expressions alone, a gift that gets another glorious workout here".[5]

2016–2021: Expansion to dramatic roles

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In 2016, Efira starred in Justine Triet's romantic comedy-drama In Bed with Victoria, which premiered in the International Critics' Week section of the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. Her performance received critical acclaim, with The Hollywood Reporter describing it as "vibrant" and "well-tuned", and earned her the Magritte Award for Best Actress as well as her first César Award for Best Actress nomination.[6] That same year, she appeared alongside Isabelle Huppert in Paul Verhoeven's psychological thriller Elle. Following the success of both films, Efira increasingly took on more ambitious dramatic roles.[7]

BERJAYA
Virginie Efira in 2019

In 2018, she starred in Catherine Corsini's drama An Impossible Love, portraying a woman over more than three decades of her life. Her performance was widely praised, earning Cesar Award, Globe de Cristal Award and Lumière Award nominations for Best Actress.[8][9] That same year, Efira appeared in the ensemble comedy Sink or Swim, which was screened out of competition at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, earning her a César Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Efira continued her collaboration with acclaimed French auteurs in Sibyl, her second film with Justine Triet. Premiering in competition at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, the film further established her as one of France's leading dramatic actresses, with Variety describing her as "a first-class leading lady of consistently expanding range and elan".[10] In 2020, Efira starred as a terminally ill hairdresser seeking to reunite with her long-lost child in Albert Dupontel's comedy-drama Bye Bye Morons. The film became a major commercial and critical success in France, winning seven César Awards, including Best Film, and earning Efira her third nomination for Best Actress. [11]

In 2021, Efira reunited with Paul Verhoeven for the title role in the historical drama Benedetta, portraying the 17th-century Italian nun whose mystical visions and forbidden relationship with another nun challenge religious authority.[12]

2022–present: Established career

[edit]

In 2023, Efira won her first César Award for Best Actress, for her performance in the film Paris Memories (2022),[13] in which she played a woman who is struggling with the lingering mental health effects of having survived a terrorist attack in Paris, a role originally intended for Nicole Kidman.[14] Her performance in Rebecca Zlotowski's drama Other People's Children (2022) earned her high praise from critics. The Hollywood Reporter called it "a career-best turn" and "her best work yet as a woman who, compared to the usual Parisian narcissists and neurotics, is a model of selflessness."[15] Also in 2023, Efira continued to work with female French filmmakers and had two films premiere at the Cannes Film Festival: the psychological drama Just the Two of Us, for which she earned her sixth César Award for Best Actress nomination, and the drama All to Play For.

BERJAYA
Efira at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival

Efira starred in two films selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival: Asghar Farhadi's Parallel Tales and Ryusuke Hamaguchi's All of a Sudden. In the latter, she portrayed the director of a nursing home seeking to implement the Humanitude approach to elderly care, whose convictions are challenged after meeting a terminally ill Japanese playwright. The film received widespread critical acclaim and her performance earned her the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress.[16]

Personal life

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Efira married comedian and actor Patrick Ridremont in 2002. They separated in 2005,[17] and filed for divorce in February 2009.[18] From 2012 to 2017, Efira dated director and actor Mabrouk El Mechri, with whom she has a daughter, born in 2013.[19]

In 2016, Efira obtained French citizenship, becoming a dual citizen,[20][21] for which she later cited her desire to vote in France as the reason.[22] Since 2017, Efira has been in a relationship with actor Niels Schneider, her co-star in the films An Impossible Love (2018) and Sibyl (2019),[23] with whom she has a son, born in 2023.[24] The couple live in the 11th arrondissement of Paris.[25]

Filmography

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Feature films

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Year Title Role Director(s) Notes
2005 Africains poids-moyens Vickie Marie Daniel Cattier Short film
2009 The Barons The Artist Nabil Ben Yadir
2010 Le Siffleur Candice Philippe Lefebvre
L'amour c'est mieux à deux Angèle Dominique Farrugia & Arnaud Lemort
Kill Me Please Inspector Evrard Olias Barco
2011 La Chance de ma vie Joanna Sorini Nicolas Cuche
My Worst Nightmare Julie Anne Fontaine
2012 Hénaut Président Herself Michel Muller
Dead Man Talking Élisabeth Lacroix Patrick Ridremont
2013 Cookie Delphine Léa Fazer
It Boy Alice Lantins David Moreau
Les Invincibles Caroline Frédéric Berthe
Turning Tide Marie Drevil Christophe Offenstein
2015 Caprice Alicia Emmanuel Mouret
Une famille à louer Violette Jean-Pierre Améris
The Sense of Wonder Louise Éric Besnard
2016 Et ta sœur Marie Marion Vernoux
Up for Love Diane Laurent Tirard
Elle Rebecca Paul Verhoeven
In Bed with Victoria Victoria Justine Triet
2017 Pris de court Nathalie Emmanuelle Cuau
2018 Sink or Swim Delphine Gilles Lellouche
An Impossible Love Rachel Catherine Corsini
Keep Going Sybille Joachim Lafosse
2019 Sibyl Sibyl Justine Triet
2020 Night Shift Virginie Anne Fontaine
Bye Bye Morons Suze Trappet Albert Dupontel
2021 Benedetta Benedetta Carlini Paul Verhoeven
Madeleine Collins Judith Fauvet Antoine Canet
Waiting for Bojangles Camille Fouquet Régis Roinsar
2022 Paris Memories Mia Alice Winocour
Don Juan Julie Serge Bozon
Other People's Children Rachel Rebecca Zlotowski
2023 Just the Two of Us Blanche Valérie Donzelli
All to Play For Sylvie Paugam Delphine Deloget
2025 A Private Life Paula Cohen-Solal Rebecca Zlotowski
Les Braises Karine Bouvier Thomas Kruithof
2026 Parallel Tales Anna / Nita Asghar Farhadi
All of a Sudden[26] Marie-Lou Fontaine Ryusuke Hamaguchi

Television

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Year Title Role Director Notes
2006–2009 Kaamelott Berlewen, Bohort's wife Alexandre Astier Television series, 2 episodes
2007 Un amour de fantôme Anna Daniel Cattier Television film
2007 Off Prime Herself Television series
2010 En chantier, monsieur Tanner The Banker Stefan Liberski Television film
2011 À la maison pour Noël Sarah Christian Merret-Palmair
2016 La Folle Soirée du Palmashow 3 Herself Television series
2017 Call My Agent! Laurent Tirard Television series, 1 episode

Dubbing

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Year Title Role Director(s) Notes
2004 Garfield: The Movie Dr. Liz Wilson Peter Hewitt French voice
2005 Robots Piper Chris Wedge & Carlos Saldanha
2006 Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties Dr. Liz Wilson Tim Hill
2008 Max & Co Cathy Samuel Guillaume & Frédéric Guillaume
2011 Puss in Boots Kitty Softpaws Chris Miller French voice
2012 Hotel Transylvania Mavis Genndy Tartakovsky
2015 Hotel Transylvania 2
2017 Tall Tales from the Magical Garden of Antoon Krings Huguette the wasp Arnaud Bouron & Antoon Krings

Awards and nominations

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BERJAYA
Efira during the 2026 Cannes Film Festival
Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2011 Magritte Awards Audience Awards Herself Won [27]
Best Supporting Actress Kill Me Please Nominated
2016 Elle Nominated [28]
Best Actress In Bed with Victoria Won
2017 Lumière Awards Best Actress Nominated [29]
César Awards Best Actress Nominated [30]
Globes de Cristal Awards Best Actress Up for Love Nominated
2019 An Impossible Love Nominated
Lumière Awards Best Actress Nominated [31]
César Awards Best Actress Nominated [32]
Best Supporting Actress Sink or Swim Nominated
2021 Lumière Awards Best Actress Bye Bye Morons Nominated [33]
César Awards Best Actress Nominated [34]
Magritte Awards Best Actress Nominated [35]
2022 César Awards Best Actress Benedetta Nominated [36]
Lumière Awards Best Actress Nominated [37]
2023 Other People's Children Won [38]
César Awards Best Actress Paris Memories Won [39]
2024 Lumière Awards Best Actress All to Play For Nominated [40]
César Awards Best Actress Just the Two of Us Nominated [41]
2026 Cannes Film Festival Best Actress All of a Sudden Won [42]
Locarno Film Festival Best Actress All of a Sudden Won [43]

References

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  1. ↑ "Virginie Efira". Première (in French). 5 May 1977. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  2. ↑ "Virginie Efira dans le taxi de Jérôme Colin" (PDF). RTBF (in French). p. 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  3. 1 2 Cuttat, Edmée (23 May 2016). "Virginie Efira, sur les traces de Mary Poppins" [Virginie Efira, in the footsteps of Mary Poppins]. Femina (in Swiss French). Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  4. ↑ "Magritte : Virginie Efira, la préférée du public" [Magritte: Virginie Efira, the public's favourite]. La Libre Belgique (in French). 5 February 2012. Archived from the original on 29 August 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  5. ↑ van Hoeij, Boyd (30 April 2013). "Film Review: 'It Boy'". Variety. Los Angeles, California: Michelle Sobrino-Stearns. Archived from the original on 16 August 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  6. ↑ Mintzer, Jordan (12 May 2016). "'In Bed With Victoria' ('Victoria'): Cannes Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Los Angeles, California: Eldridge Industries. Archived from the original on 13 November 2018. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  7. ↑ Willsher, Kim (1 April 2022). "Virginie Efira: 'On every third page of the script there was something crazy, sacred, intimate'". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 July 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ↑ Bradshaw, Peter (3 January 2019). "An Impossible Love review – brilliantly dark and tender family drama". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 July 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ↑ Romney, Jonathan (19 October 2018). "'An Impossible Love': London Review". Screen International. London, England: Media Business Insight. Archived from the original on 14 November 2018. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  10. ↑ Lodge, Guy (24 May 2019). "Cannes Film Review: 'Sibyl'". Variety. Los Angeles, California: Michelle Sobrino-Stearns. Archived from the original on 30 May 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  11. ↑ Keslassy, Elsa (12 March 2021). "'Bye Bye Morons' Wins Best Film, 'Another Round' Wins Best Foreign Film at France's Cesar Awards". Variety. Los Angeles, California: Michelle Sobrino-Stearns. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  12. ↑ Goodfellow, Melanie (29 August 2018). "First image of Paul Verhoeven's newly titled nun drama 'Benedetta'". Screen International. London, England: Media Business Insight. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  13. ↑ "César et Nominations". Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  14. ↑ Baronnet, Brigitte (8 September 2022). "Revoir Paris avec Virginie Efira : quelle star internationale aurait pu jouer dans le film ?". AlloCiné. Paris, France. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  15. ↑ Frosch, Jon (4 September 2022). "'Other People's Children' Review: Virginie Efira Gives a Career-Best Turn in Rebecca Zlotowski's Deft, Delicate Dramedy". The Hollywood Reporter. Los Angeles, California: Eldridge Industries. Retrieved 14 July 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ↑ Dalton, Ben (23 May 2026). "Cristian Mungiu's 'Fjord' wins Palme d'Or at 2026 Cannes Film Festival". Screen Daily. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  17. ↑ "La fin d'une belle histoire". La Dernière Heure (in French). 17 August 2005. Archived from the original on 20 October 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  18. ↑ Bernard, Sophie (13 February 2009). "Virginie Efira divorce en direct" (in French). News-de-stars.com. Archived from the original on 14 February 2009. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  19. ↑ "Qui est le compagnon de Virginie Efira, Mabrouk El-Mechri ?". Gala (in French). 19 April 2017. Archived from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  20. ↑ "Virginie Efira se confie sur sa double nationalité dans 69 minutes sans chichis" [Virginie Efira opens up about her dual nationality in 69 minutes without fuss]. RTBF (in French). 27 August 2021. Archived from the original on 21 November 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  21. ↑ Vainqueur, Christine. "Virginie Efira, l'électron libre". Marie Claire (in French). Archived from the original on 8 July 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  22. ↑ "Virginie Efira raconte pourquoi et comment elle a obtenu la nationalité française" [Virginie Efira tells why and how she obtained French nationality]. Gala (in French). 28 March 2017. Archived from the original on 20 June 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  23. ↑ "Virginie Efira, radieuse au bras de son compagnon Niels Schneider à Paris". Elle (in French). 13 January 2023. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  24. ↑ Lucas, Louise (4 September 2023). "À 46 ans, Virginie Efira aurait accouché de son deuxième enfant". Madame Figaro (in French). Archived from the original on 17 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  25. ↑ Lecoeuvre, Sarah (23 March 2023). ""On en a bien profité..." : pourquoi Virginie Efira et Niels Schneider sont en froid avec leurs voisins". TV Magazine (in French). Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  26. ↑ Keslassy, Elsa (6 May 2025). "'Drive My Car' Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi to Make His Next Film 'All of a Sudden' in Paris With Virginie Efira, Tao Okamoto (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
  27. ↑ Engelen, Aurore (10 January 2012). "Nominations announced for 2nd Magritte Awards". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
  28. ↑ "Les Magritte du cinéma 2017: le palmarès". Cinevox (in French). 4 February 2017. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
  29. ↑ "Lumières 2017 : "Elle" et "Une vie" en tête des nominations". LCI. 16 December 2016. Archived from the original on 16 December 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  30. ↑ Tartaglione, Nancy (24 January 2017). "César Awards Nominations: Verhoeven's 'Elle', Ozon's 'Frantz' In The Lead". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 28 January 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  31. ↑ "France's Lumière awards unveil mixed bag of nominations". Screen. Archived from the original on 27 December 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  32. ↑ Keslassy, Elsa (23 January 2019). "'Sink or Swim,' 'Custody' Lead Race for France's Cesar Awards". Variety. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  33. ↑ "26th Lumières Awards Nominations" (PDF). The Académie des Lumières (in French). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 July 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  34. ↑ "Emmanuel Mouret's 'Love Affairs' Leads France's Cesar Nominations". Variety. 10 February 2021. Archived from the original on 21 February 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  35. ↑ Goodfellow, Melanie (12 January 2022). "'Madly In Life', 'Playground' lead Belgium's Magritte nominations". Screen International. Archived from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  36. ↑ Szalai, Georg; Roxborough, Scott (26 January 2022). "Lea Seydoux, Adam Driver Among Nominees for France's Cesar Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 25 November 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  37. ↑ Goodfellow, Melanie (10 December 2021). "'Lost Illusions', 'Happening' lead the nominations for France's Lumière awards". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 10 December 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  38. ↑ Goodfellow, Melanie (16 January 2023). "Dominik Moll's 'The Night Of The 12th' & Albert Serra's 'Pacification' Lead Prizes At French Lumière Awards". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  39. ↑ Goodfellow, Melanie (25 January 2023). "César Nominations: Louis Garrel's 'The Innocent' Takes Surprise Lead, Followed By 'Night Of The 12th' – Full List". Deadline. Archived from the original on 25 January 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  40. ↑ Roxborough, Scott (14 December 2023). "'Anatomy of a Fall' Leads France's Lumiere Award Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  41. ↑ Elsa Keslassy (24 January 2024). "Cesar Awards Nominations: Thomas Cailley's 'The Animal Kingdom,' Justine Triet's Oscar-Nominated 'Anatomy of a Fall' Lead the Way". Variety. Archived from the original on 6 March 2024. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  42. ↑ Dalton, Ben (23 May 2026). "Cristian Mungiu's 'Fjord' wins Palme d'Or at 2026 Cannes Film Festival". Screen Daily. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  43. ↑ swissinfo.ch, S. W. I. (8 August 2026). "Actress Virginie Efira honoured at Locarno Film Festival". SWI swissinfo.ch. Retrieved 10 August 2026.
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